


Coming home to you.

by unacaritafeliz



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Falling In Love, Future Fic, Letters, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pen Pals, Pining, Soft Boys, Yearning, i know this is a niche ship but hear me out, listen SO MUCH YEARNING HAPPENS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:14:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27683378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unacaritafeliz/pseuds/unacaritafeliz
Summary: Truthfully Teo doesn't know what this actually is. He doesn't know if Sokka's here for engineering advice, or a chat, or because of the letters, or just because it's their first time to the Southern Water Tribe and Sokka's trying to be a good host.But Teo knows he's not too tired for it, whatever it is.[Ten years after the war, Teo finds himself in the Southern Water Tribe visiting his penpal, and the possible love of his life].
Relationships: Sokka/Teo (Avatar)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 30





	Coming home to you.

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place 10 years after the end of the war, when Teo is 23 and Sokka 25. It's canon compliant with A:TLA, but not with the comics or A:LOK.

Teo zooms aimlessly around the little apartment Dad and he have been given for their visit to the Southern Water Tribe. Dad is out, and Teo should be getting ready for bed so he's well rested for the big day tomorrow, but instead he's moving from room to room, restless, because he's been in the South Pole for eight hours now, and the most he's seen of Sokka is the wheelchair mods that Katara had helped fit onto his chair in her brothers absence.  
  
It's not even that big of a deal. He knows better than anyone how busy Sokka's schedule can be, and they'll definitely get the opportunity to see each other plenty during Aang and Katara's week-long wedding celebration it's just... well, Sokka had promised to meet him when he arrived, and he hadn't, and Teo can't help but feel like it means Sokka wasn't as excited to see Teo, as Teo had been to see him.

The thought's barely finished when a bell chimes through the apartment, and a deep voice speaks out from behind the front door.  
  
"Hey, Teo? Professor Mechanist? It's Sokka."

Or maybe Sokka really was just busy, and hadn't had time to stop by until now.

It's kind of dumb - Teo has been waiting to see Sokka all day, but he feels so nervous now that he's finally here. Despite exchanging letters weekly, they haven't actually seen each other in five years, and Teo suddenly wonders what seeing each other in person is actually going to be like, and if the spark he feels between them actually exists anywhere other than in his mind.

"Hello?" Sokka calls. "Anyone home?"  
  
Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Teo pushes his long hair out of his eyes and wheels himself over to the door. He slides it open and immediately feels his, already plentiful, nerves double, because while years of letters have shown Teo how intelligent, mature and kind Sokka has become, nothing could have prepared him for _this_ .  
  
The last five years have been good to him. All lingering traces of baby fat have finally disappeared from his face, replaced by a strong jawline and cheekbones sharp enough to cut someone with. His shoulders are broader, and his biceps are wider, and his wolf-tail is longer, and, God, Teo had been attracted to Sokka when he'd been an awkward, lanky, fifteen year old. This is just plain _unfair_.  
  
"Hey," says Sokka, and Teo realises he's done nothing but stare stupidly at his friend for a good few minutes. His cheeks flush in mortification, and he drags his gaze back to Sokka’s eyes.  
  
"Hey," says Teo. "Uh, my dad's not here, it's just me."  
  
Sokka smiles, in a way Teo can only really describe as fond, which does nothing to help his heartrate. "Okay," says Sokka. "Can I come in?"  
  
Teo nods, rolling himself backwards into the entrance room to let Sokka in. Sokka drops his bag on the ground and starts fiddling with the buttons of his outer coat.  
  
"Dad went to play Pai Sho with Uncle Iroh," Teo explains.  
  
Sokka hums, pulling his coat off and hanging it on the hook by the door. "You didn't want to go play with them?" he asks.  
  
Teo shakes his head. "Nah," he says. "I was kind of tired after the trip."  
  
Sokka pauses, his hand hovering over his coat. "I can leave if you're tired," he says. "We can always catch up before the wedding tomorrow."  
  
"No!" Teo yells, reaching out to grab Sokka's hand before he processes what he's doing. He drops the hand like it's burned him, even though it's his own cheeks that are suddenly far too warm. "I just meant I was too tired to put up with Dad and Uncle Iroh. I'm not too tired for this."  
  
Truthfully Teo doesn't know what _this_ actually is. He doesn't know if Sokka's here for engineering advice, or a chat, or because of the letters, or just because it's their first time to the Southern Water Tribe and Sokka's trying to be a good host.  
  
But Teo knows he's not too tired for it, whatever it is.  
  
Sokka smiles. "Can I hug you?" he asks.  
  
Teo nods and Sokka moves fluidly towards him, dropping to his knee so that he can comfortably wrap his arms around Teo's torso. Teo shuts his eyes as he hugs Sokka back, savouring the warmth of his arms, and the sweet, smokey way he smells — two things he can never experience through Sokka's letters.  
  
"It's good to see you, Teo," Sokka murmurs into his ear, and Teo resists the urge to shiver.  
  
"Yeah," Teo says. "It's good to see you too."  
  
The moment is interrupted when Sokka's stomach rumbles, which is so ridiculously in character for Sokka that Teo can't help but laugh at it.  
  
"I haven't eaten yet," Sokka explains, a little bashfully as he stands up. "I brought food with me, though. Can I eat here?"  
  
"Of course," says Teo. "Come on, we can hang out in the kitchen."  
  
He leads the way to the kitchen, and sits back, watching as Sokka unpacks far too many heat-retaining food containers for one person onto the counter. The containers were technically Dad’s ideas, but it was Sokka who had finally gotten them to store heat correctly - using Aang's airbending to create a vacuum between the two layers of the box. Teo still remembers the letter Sokka had sent him when he'd figured it out, how palpable his excitement had been, even through the page.  
  
"Gran-Gran said you guys already had dinner," says Sokka. "But I brought extras anyway, just in case."  
  
Teo shakes his head. "Your grandmother already fed me so much," he says. "She said I was too skinny."  
  
Sokka looks over at him, and Teo watches as his eyes flick from his face, down and back up again. "Not too skinny," Sokka decides, and Teo feels his cheeks burn. "But you should have some more Arctic hen anyway. Just to keep me company."  
  
Teo rolls his eyes but slides up to the table anyway, accepting the cutlery Sokka pushes into his hand and the container Sokka sets down in front of him. Sokka grins, and digs his fork into his own dish with gusto.  
  
"So," Sokka starts, through a mouthful of food. It would be disgusting if it were anyone else, but Teo's just far enough gone to find it charming. "Did you have a good flight in?"  
  
"Yeah," Teo says. "Dad actually let me steer the balloon for once, so it was actually a pretty smooth flight in."  
  
Sokka huffs out a laugh. He knows better than anyone how bad Dad is at steering their balloon, having travelled with him between the Air Temple and Republic City a couple of times. Sokka's not much better at it, from what Teo's heard, and it never stops being completely hilarious to him that the two people who invented the hot air balloon are the two people worst at using it.  
  
"I'm sorry I wasn't there when you arrived," Sokka says, quietly. "I cleared my schedule for it and everything, but things came up that were out of my control."  
  
It'd be a lie if Teo says he hadn't been hurt and disappointed when the blue-clad figure waving their hot air balloon in turned out to be Katara, and not her older brother, but he'd never really been mad at Sokka for being too busy to come meet him. Still, knowing Sokka really had wanted to be there, and that it wasn’t just a nicety he put in his letter, is enough to soothe any remaining pain.

"It's okay," says Teo. "I know you're busy with all your future-chief duties."  
  
Sokka snorts. "Future chief duties are nothing compared to joint best man and man of honour duties," he says, flopping dramatically in his chair. "Katara and Aang are both complete bridezilla. I was running around for them all day."

Teo laughs, reaching out to softly punch Sokka’s arm. "If I remember correctly, I think I warned you against agreeing to be both best man and man of honour."  
  
"Yeah, but then Toph would win," Sokka says with a sigh, and Teo can't help but laugh. "And besides, I'd like to see you try to say no to Aang about anything. It's impossible."  
  
Teo smiles, ducking his head away. He knows that it's not actually impossible to say no to Aang. He almost had, when Aang and Katara had invited him for their wedding, and Teo realised he'd have to come down to the snow-and-ice covered South Pole for the first time in his life.  
  
But then he’d thought about seeing Sokka, and realised he would've done anything to be able to see him in person again. And when Sokka's next letter had arrived, and mentioned how much he was looking forward to seeing Teo for the first time in five years… well it had actually been impossible to say no to that.  
  
"Yeah," Teo lies. "I mean, I even agreed to come down to the South Pole for him."  
  
Sokka pauses, a spoonful of sea prune stew halfway to his mouth. "You don't like the South Pole?" he asks, a vague hurt look in his eyes that strikes Teo deep in his chest.  
  
"No!” he rushes to clarify. "The South Pole is fine. It’s just… I was kind of worried about the ice and the snow, you know? I wasn't sure I'd be able to navigate it."  
  
"Teo, you were literally gliding through the air with no safety net when I first met you," Sokka says, setting his spoon back in the bowl without eating from it. "A little snow and ice is nothing compared to that."  
  
"I know," says Teo. He glances down at his barely touched Arctic hen. Being vulnerable in real life is way harder than being vulnerable on paper. "But I'm used to that. I've never done this before and I..."  
  
"Hey," Sokka interrupts. His voice is soft and serious, and it makes Teo look up at him. He finds nothing but kindness in Sokka’s eyes. "It's okay that you were nervous. But it's okay now that you're here, right, Teo? You're okay?"  
  
With Sokka? Teo thinks he'd be okay anywhere.  
  
"Yeah, I'm okay," he says. "The wheel grips you sent with Katara were really useful. And the gloves too, actually. Mine would have been soaked through in no time."  
  
"Hey, well, you're the one that suggested the moisture wicking inner layer," Sokka says. "So thank yourself for that one."  
  
Teo blinks. He does remember that conversation, now that Sokka mentions it. It had been years ago, when their letters had been more about inventing and engineering, and less about feelings and life updates. Sokka had been complaining that his waterproof gloves left his hands gross sweaty and Teo had almost been embarrassed to offer such a primitive and low-tech solution like adding an extra layer to the inside, but Sokka had reacted like Teo had invented an entirely new branch of calculus.  
  
Something in Teo swells with pride at the fact that Sokka's still using his solution, all these years later.

“It was still really thoughtful of you,” says Teo, quietly. “So thank you.”

"Hey, it’s the least I could do," says Sokka, with a shrug. He picks up his spoon to finally resume eating his dinner. "I really want you to be happy and comfortable while you're here, Teo. And... I want you to come back to visit me again. Soon."  
  
It's a bit early to talk about coming back, considering Teo's only eight hours into what's supposed to be a week long trip and isn't even thinking about having to leave yet. But looking at Sokka, Teo's sure he won't have any objections to coming back to the South Pole whenever Sokka asks him too.  
  
"I'll want to come back, Sokka," he says, quietly.  
  
Sokka smiles. He is so, so beautiful, and Teo’s heart _aches_ .  
  
"Teo..." Sokka starts, leaning towards Teo, sounding very much like he's going to tell him _something_ .  
  
But then the front door slams open and the moment's gone.

“Hello?” Dad calls from the hallway. “Teo?”

Teo somehow manages to tear his eyes away from Sokka's gorgeous blue ones, so he can look towards his father in the entryway. “In the kitchen,” he calls out.

Sokka huffs out a small breath and pulls himself to his feet, meeting Dad in the doorway of the kitchen with a hug. “Hey, Professor Mechanist,” he greets. “Thanks for coming down.”

"Sokka!" Dad exclaims, happily, as he returns the hug. He wiggles his eyebrows at Teo over Sokka's shoulder, and Teo wishes the ice below his feet would melt and send him plummeting into the freezing water below. His dad caught onto his crush years ago, but he still hasn't stopped being completely embarrassing about it. "How nice of you to stop by and see Teo!"  
  
Teo glances over to the window and briefly contemplates rolling himself out of it.

“How was your game, Dad?” he asks instead, hoping to both change the topic and convince his father to stop being _so goddamn obvious_. “Did you beat Uncle Iroh?”

Dad sighs. "I did not," He says, sitting down at the table across from Teo. Sokka sits back in his seat and pushes a container of Arctic hen and rice towards Dad, who accepts it with a smile but doesn’t open it. “I think I need to practice more.”

Teo leans across the table to pat his Dad’s hand. He hadn’t meant to actually make him sad, and he feels kind of bad about it. “I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time for a rematch, Dad,” he says, kindly.

"Uncle Iroh is a formidable opponent,” Sokka says, consolingly. “I’ve only beaten him once, and that’s only because he let Azula and I team up against him. You should play against Grandpa Pakku next. He’s pretty good, but he’s not impossible to beat like Uncle Iroh.”

“I’ll set up a game with him,” says Dad. “Maybe your grandfather can show us around the city sometime too. I want to get a good look at all the snow buildings. Those are a marvel of engineering, Sokka.”

Sokka laughs. “You say that like the two of you didn’t help me finalise the blueprints,” he says. Teo remembers those blueprints well, remembers the awe he felt going through Sokka’s calculations for how to build complicated high-rise structures out of pure snow. “I’ll give you the architecture tour myself. In a few days maybe, when there’s not so much wedding stuff going on and we can take our time exploring. I’ll probably explain it better than Grandpa Pakku will.”

“I look forward to it,” says Dad. He hides a yawn behind his hand, and stands up from the table, pushing his untouched container of Arctic hen away. “I think I’ll call it a night, though, boys. Don’t stay up too late.”

“Goodnight, Professor,” says Sokka.

“Night, Dad,” Teo says.

Teo watches as his father leaves the room, before returning his attention to Sokka. Sokka’s already looking at him - an unreadable, but undeniably soft, look on his face.

“I should probably head home too,” Sokka says, quietly. “It’s getting kind of late, and I have to get up early to help Katara and Aang get ready for tomorrow’s ceremony.”

Teo’s not ready for Sokka to go just yet, but he knows he can’t be selfish and keep him from his duties to his tribe, his sister and the literal Avatar. And besides, he's here for a whole week. They'll have more time, even if Teo knows it'll never be enough.

“Okay,” says Teo, wondering if Sokka can feel how reluctant he is to let him go. “Thanks for bringing dinner. Sorry we didn’t eat any of it.”

Sokka snorts, shutting his empty containers and putting them in his bag. “I’ll leave you the leftovers in case you guys get hungry,” he says. “But, you should both come to Gran-Gran’s for breakfast tomorrow, okay?”

Teo’s not sure they’ll need breakfast, between the huge dinner forced on them tonight, the amount of leftovers Sokka’s leaving behind, and the wedding feast planned for lunchtime tomorrow, but who is he to turn down spending more time with Sokka when it has been so politely offered to him?

“Okay,” he says, softly. “We’ll be there.”

Sokka grins, picks up his bag and moves towards the front door. Teo follows him, sitting back as he watches Sokka pull his coat from the wall and over his shoulders, deft fingers fastening it up tight. Teo's extremely glad that he’s not the one going out into the cold right now, but he also desperately wishes he could ask Sokka to stay.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” says Sokka, once his coat is fully fasted, and there’s no other reason for him to stay.

“Yeah,” says Teo. “I’ll see you.”

Sokka looks down at him, and for a split, unreasonable, moment Teo thinks he’s going to stride across the room to kiss him. But Sokka just smiles at him, and slides the door open.

“I really am glad you’re here, Teo,” he says, quietly. The door shuts behind him before Teo's finished parsing the words.

Teo exhales, staring at the closed door for a few long moments. His heart is still beating thunderously in his chest, but he somehow feels calm, like part of him has finally come home.

He turns around, heading to his room to get some rest in preparation for tomorrow. Something tells him he's going to need it.

**Author's Note:**

> Sokka, gesturing at a pile of food Teo did not want nor ask for: is this an acceptable way of declaring my love?
> 
> Anyway I wrote these two as roommates one (1) time and then wound up shipping them. They're just so smart! And so sweet! And they deserve a smart and sweet engineering bros to lovers storyline.
> 
> I know the ship isn't for everyone, so thank you for reading. Please let me know if you liked it.


End file.
